High School Sports

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville High junior quarterback Vicente Baltazar connected with Albert De Haro for a touchdown in their 50-7 loss to Santa Cruz High in non-league play Sept. 3. The Wildcatz’s special teams unit had a 40-yard kickoff return that set them up with good field possession.  On...

APTOS—Aptos High starting pitcher Gabe Gaeckle last week had a career day on the mound with 16 strikeouts.  The junior ace gave up two hits and one walk for the Mariners baseball team in its 10-0 smashing victory against Burlingame in non-league action March 26. Reed...

Pajaro Valley High announced Friday that it has hired Darren Jackson as the new head coach of the girls’ basketball team. Jackson will replace Mark Harris who stepped down from the same position after spending four years at the helm. “My plan is to build off...

St. Francis High Junior setter Julie Lopez had nine assists, one block, three aces and eight digs for the Sharks girls' volleyball team in a three set 25-16, 25-13, 25-16 loss to University Prep Academy in the Central Coast Section Division V quarterfinals Tuesday...

Pajaro Valley High senior Izaak Ocampo knows the football program has been considered a doormat of the league for quite some time.  In fact, the Grizzlies have recorded just one winning season since the team began competing in 2006. That was long before he was...

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville High remains undefeated two weeks into the season after a 12-6 victory over St. Francis High on Sept. 4 at Cabrillo College. The Wildcatz (2-0) won a hard-fought battle that was decided with a defensive play in the final minute of the game. Jacob...

St. Francis and Watsonville both went into last weekend’s Pacific Coast Athletic League opener aiming to get a head start in the race for a Mission Division-North crown.  In the end, a big stop by the Shark defense helped lift them past the cross-town rival...

WATSONVILLE—A team of local youth equestrians brought some national acclaim back to the Central Coast after putting on a strong performance nearly 3,000 miles away from home.  The Belmont Training Stables team, based out of Monte Vista Christian School, placed third at the Interscholastic Equestrian...

The Central Coast Section football playoff brackets are in order and a pair of local schools will represent the area in Friday’s upcoming quarterfinals. Aptos High—tri co-champion of the Pacific Coast Athletic League’s Gabilan Division—and Cypress Division runner-up St. Francis both will extend their season...

This week’s edition of the Pajaronian Sports Ticker highlights local prep athletes for their performances during the week of Jan. 2-8.  Coaches and athletic directors are encouraged to submit scores and stats to [email protected]. Follow sports editor Juan Reyes on Twitter @jmreyes831 for scores and...